After Gutenberg

Autoblog Green showed a graph that emphasized cellulosic vaporware cellulosic ethanol as the best choice for an alternative fuel. Another story soon passed along more Syngas Spin (see above graphic) that fits nicely with previous Saab Bio-Power Ballyhoo.

To their credit, they later published a sun to wheels analysis by a Michigan student that concludes with the question, “Why are we trying to grow our energy when we can harvest it directly from the sun?”

In commenting on a home state project, this blog previously noted that the economic value of unsubsidized, cellulosic ethanol remains to be validated. Given that burning biomass for energy is more efficient, are the considerable, federal, state and private efforts to develop ethanol as an alternative fuel misdirected? Not entirely.

This blog recently reiterated advantages to an Ethanol Boosting System and repeatedly acknowledged the possibly role of ethanol to fuel the range extender in series hybrid vehicles.

“Vaperma Siftek™ membranes are made of polymers, which are extruded into thousands of hollow fibers using a wet/dry-phase, inversion-spinning process. A typical membrane module contains thousands of fibers that are embedded into a thermoset resin that is permanently bonded to a fixture ring seal to form a removable cartridge that is inserted into a pressure vessel.”

The Energy Blog reports on one such approach to potentially lower cost of ethanol production. “GreenField Ethanol and Vaperma announced they have completed a successful trial demonstration of new technology to save 40% of the energy costs of the ethanol production processs by using Verpanas new membranes to seperate water from an alcohol-water mixture.”

The process yields a 99 per cent fuel-grade ethanol product that “will dramatically improve the ethanol production process” for GreenField Ethanol, Canada’s largest ethanol producer. According to Toronto Star reporter Tyler Hamilton, GreenField Ethanol and Vaperma believe that they proved the viability of membrane technology for dewatering ethanol with their first large-scale demonstration in North America. “A technology to watch,” observes the erstwhile Canadian, “as it could have farther reaching impact throughout the ethanol and biofuels markets.”

By replacing the distillation column and the molecular sieve used in a conventional ethanol plant, membrane based technology offers an alternative to the “dewatering” of ethanol and natural gas and the removal of CO2.

No liquid effluent waste is generated. The resulting permeate is essentially a stream of water that can be recycled to the front end of the ethanol plant, hence reducing the amount of make-up water. Less fossil fuel energy consumed means less GHG generated.

Got Grid?

Thus, such efforts at improving production of ethanol and lowering the cost are commendable. There certainly is a need for the alcohol fuel to be cheaper than the gasoline. With the potential advent of peak oil, ethanol could become the primary fuel, with gasoline or some similar combustible fuel (e.g., hydrogen) injected when better starting is needed. The advantage is the potential improvement in the emissions profile (depending upon how the ethanol is produced); the disadvantage to such a suggestion is the lower energy value of ethanol.

As previously asked, “Isn’t the point to lower gasoline usage as much as possible?” One answer to the rhetorical question is, “Yes, insofar as other such processes reduce green house gases, are fair to those effected and can fit efficiently within the existing infrastructure.” Treehugger, in noting that renowned physicist, ecologist, seed activist and eco-feminist, Vandana Shiva made some interesting comments about biofuels at the Barcelona conference, observes that biofuels obviously are not going to be a solution unless properly managed.